“He’s right, though. We missed you. I missed you,” he said, his voice going lower. “It’s good seeing you here, Kyle. I’m glad we could do this tonight.”
Kyle’s heart seemed to swell. “I’m glad, too.”
His breath stuttered as Luka leaned in closer, but the moment their lips met, Robbie was on the move, crawling from Kyle’s head onto Luka’s and Kyle couldn’t help his laughter.
“Cockblocked by a goddamned ferret. How did this happen to me?” Luka chased after Robbie with one hand but slid the other around Kyle’s waist. “Can I pour you a drink?”
“Sure.” Kyle slipped his arm around Luka, too. “But why don’t you let me pour since you’ve already got your hands full?”
They went into the kitchen where Luka deposited Robbie by his bowl with some snacks, and Kyle unpacked the supplies he’d brought. He mixed up a round of Manhattans and poured them in some lowball glasses he found in the cabinet, and they chatted while Luka finished prepping their dinner of steak with kale and a white bean mash.
“This all looks good,” Kyle said once Luka had shut Robbie in his cage and they’d settled at the table. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to impress me.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“No. You don’t have to try though. I’m where I want to be tonight.”
“Good. I figured I’d have better luck making dinner here than in your shoebox.”
“Oh, Lord.” Kyle snorted. “I’ve made some very good meals in that little kitchen, I’ll have you know. Some of them were for you!”
“True. I still prefer to cook in a bigger space.” Luka held up his glass. “Happy Not Belated Birthday.”
Kyle tapped their drinks together. “Thank you.”
The ghosts of Kyle’s tension relaxed bit by bit over the course of the meal. He hadn’t lied when he’d said he was where he wanted to be. There was a sweet, almost first-date air in their interactions now, very much like he and Luka were getting to know each other again. That felt right in Kyle’s mind, and he knew they wouldn’t be sitting there together if Luka hadn’t wanted it. Kyle’s head was on straight at last, and now he just needed to convince his heart of the same thing.
“You’re not working tonight, are you?” Luka asked.
“Nope. Gave myself the night off. Jes told Jim and the bartenders to keep me out if I show up anyway, unless I’m there with the intention to hang out and not get behind the bar.”
Luka cocked his head. “Do you want to do that? We could grab something at Under and check out the crowd, or go to another bar, if you’d like.”
“No, I’m fine staying put. Besides, I have dessert and bourbon here and that makes me happy.” Kyle forked up another bite of the cake. “You know I love my bar, but it’s a nice change of pace hanging outside of that space, too.”
Luka hummed. “In hindsight, we should have done this at your place instead of making you take the train all the way up here on your night off.”
“I don’t mind the ride. If I’ve got a book to read or a show to watch on my phone, I don’t even notice it much.” Kyle shrugged. “I use the time to decompress after work, too.”
“I get that,” Luka replied. “Though, I’m more likely to take a nap on my way home than read.”
“You work a lot harder than I do,” Kyle said in sympathy. He turned his attention to his drink. “This conversation is making me think about my habits though, and how I’ll have to rethink them if I leave Chelsea.”
“What does that mean?” A frown marred Luka’s forehead when Kyle met his gaze. “You’re thinking about moving?”
“Yeah. I have been for a while now.”
Luka’s frown deepened, but he settled a hand over Kyle’s where it rested on the table. “Where to? You’re staying in New York, right?”
“Oh, shit, yes.” Kyle flipped his hand and wrapped his fingers around Luka’s. “I’m staying in New York.” He almost laughed at Luka’s near glare. “I’m sorry.”
“Way to freak a guy out, man.”
“I didn’t think about how that would sound without context. I’ve been thinking about moving uptown, closer to Under.” Closer to you. Kyle squeezed Luka’s fingers. “I’d like to find a place in Morningside Heights, if I can, but Manhattanville would work, too.”
“That’s great. Not to be selfish, but I’ll take a shorter train ride to see you any day. Hell, I could ride my bike on a nice day and see you in under half an hour!” Luka chuckled when Kyle laughed, but his expression turned thoughtful almost immediately.
“Are you going to miss Chelsea? You’ve always seemed attached to that neighborhood, and I don’t care what you say—you love your shoebox.”
Kyle laughed again. “Yeah, I do.”
“And you’ll miss it?”
“Sure.” Kyle brought his other hand to his chin and ran his fingers over the beard. “My landlady, Mrs. Bell, is great. She used to let me pay in trade back in the day when I sometimes ran short on rent. Like, I’d help her out doing repairs or clean her house and use the labor for actual money.” He turned a crooked smile Luka’s way. “I’ve counted on the shoebox to be there, every day, no matter what was going on in the rest of my life. Even when I had roommates. It’s home. I’m sure that sounds silly.”
“It doesn’t.” There was no pity in Luka’s face, only understanding. “Are you sure you’re ready to give it up?”
“I’m sure. I talked about it with Dr. Okafor. Told him I’d been thinking about it even before we got jumped in Brooklyn. I’m…well, I’m thinking about buying it and renting it out.”
“What?”
“Mrs. Bell’s son is moving to California and he wants her to move with him. She said she’d cut me a good deal on the place if I wanted it.”
Luka shook his head. “That’s amazing. But it doesn’t make sense you’d leave it behind, right? Why buy it if you’re not going to live in it?”
“Well, like I said, I’d like to be closer to the bar. So I’m still working on that part.” Kyle wasn’t worried about it. “I’ll figure it out, one way or another. And Ollie’s made up his mind to move down here from Boston, so the shoebox will house another McKee, at least for a while. Eventually, I’d like to rent it to people who need an affordable place, like I did when I first moved in. It feels right to move on. Find a new place to call home.”
Luka nodded. He said nothing, his gaze on Kyle’s fingers as Kyle moved them over his chin. “Does it hurt?” he asked.
Kyle went still. “What?”
“You touch the scar sometimes,” Luka said. He raised his hand to his own face and motioned with his fingers, tapping roughly the same area where Kyle had been injured. “I wondered if it hurt you or—”
“Oh!” Kyle chuckled and dropped his hand in his lap. Fire licked its way across his cheeks, but the tenderness in Luka’s eyes kept him from pulling away. “No, it doesn’t hurt. The nerve endings were hypersensitive for a while and the tapping helped desensitize them. The scar zings sometimes, but the tapping is more habit than anything else now.”
Luka nodded. Moving slowly, he reached for Kyle, his touch light as his fingers came to rest on Kyle’s face, lingering over the scar hidden by his beard. “Okay to touch?”
Kyle forced himself to breathe. “Yes,” he whispered.
He tensed as Luka leaned in, but Luka kept his motions easy. He caressed Kyle’s jaw then kissed him, his lips soft against Kyle’s. He drew back just far enough to press another kiss to the corner of Kyle’s mouth, then lower onto his chin. Luka moved again, his lips lingering over the scar for a long, long moment that made Kyle’s insides tremble. He continued in the next breath, dropping kisses onto the apple of Kyle’s cheek, against his closed eye and his temple before he cupped the back of Kyle’s head in his hand. Luka met Kyle’s lips again and kissed him deep and slow.
Kyle’s breath hitched. He wound his arms around Luka and sank into him, heat radiating from his belly and out through his body. Bot
h of them were panting lightly by the time they came back up for air, and Kyle pressed his forehead to Luka’s, eyes closed and his heart thudding in his throat.
Luka held him close, his breath warm against Kyle’s face.
“Feels so good to touch you again.” Luka’s voice was rough. “I missed you so much, Kyle.”
“Missed you, too.”
“We can stop here if you want, but I’m kind of hoping you won’t say you want to.”
Kyle huffed out a laugh. “I don’t want to stop. I haven’t been with anyone since that last time with you, though, and…” He opened his eyes when Luka drew back.
“We’ll go as slow as you need to,” Luka said.
The understanding in his eyes was like a balm on Kyle’s heart. Luka got it. He wouldn’t walk away, no matter what happened next. Kyle could trust him. And knowing that put Kyle’s fears to rest at last. He didn’t hesitate when Luka urged him to his feet.
Neither spoke as they moved through the apartment. Once by Luka’s bed, they fell on each other, the awkwardness of the last several weeks melting away. Kyle felt only eager as Luka undressed him, and his skin prickled with anticipation as they stretched out together on the mattress. He shivered when Luka ran his hands over Kyle’s thighs.
Ducking his head, Kyle caught Luka’s lips with his own, fire racing through him as Luka hauled him close. He slipped his fingers through Luka’s tight coils of hair and shuddered when Luka slotted their groins together.
Luka broke away, his gaze intense. “I want to make you feel good. Can I do that?”
“Yes. I want that, too.” Kyle smiled at the warmth in Luka’s face.
Luka leaned over him toward the nightstand and his muscles flexed under Kyle’s touch. He paused as Kyle started to roll onto his stomach, however, and set a firm hand on his shoulder.
“Stay,” he said, his tone sweet and coaxing, as if he thought Kyle might refuse. “I want to see you. Watch your face while we do this.”
Kyle could only nod. He lay back against the pillow again, heart hammering while Luka found lube and a condom.
Luka slicked his fingers, then spread Kyle’s thighs wide. He took his time opening Kyle up, one arm wrapped around Kyle’s shoulders the whole time, holding him close, and he swallowed Kyle’s groans with kisses that made Kyle dizzy with lust.
“Mmm, Luka.”
“I know, baby.”
Luka twisted his fingers and the movement sent sparks of pleasure shooting through Kyle. Kyle gasped. His body buzzed and his gut twisted with need. It was all too much but not quite enough, and the world around him fell away. He floated, his own mutters rough in his own ears, almost too undone to return Luka’s kisses. Luka pressed his cock, hot and hard, against Kyle’s thigh, and though Luka trembled with need, his focus never wavered.
“You’re beautiful,” Luka murmured. The expression on his face was so bright and open and adoring Kyle’s heart clenched tight. “Love you so much, Kyle.”
“Oh, God.” Kyle’s voice shook. He pulled at Luka’s shoulder, urging him to move. “Come here, please.”
Luka pulled his fingers free and soothed Kyle’s whine with a kiss. He shifted, covering Kyle’s body with his own, and when he slid home, Kyle’s throat went tight.
Home.
That was what being with Luka meant. He grounded Kyle and made him sure in ways Kyle hadn’t known in years, if ever. Made him feel safe. Known. Loved.
Kyle closed his eyes against the sting of tears. He moved to press his face into Luka’s neck, but Luka stopped him, his fingers light along Kyle’s jaw. His gaze held compassion and love when Kyle opened his eyes, mixed with the smallest measure of concern.
“No more hiding,” Luka said, his voice gentle, just as Kyle had known it would be.
“No more,” Kyle agreed. He framed Luka’s face with his hands and poured all the emotions tangled up inside him into a kiss that made Luka moan.
Luka surged against Kyle. The ache in Kyle’s groin expanded as he and Luka moved, and he shivered when Luka reached between them to take him in hand. A few strokes were all it took to send Kyle flying, his pleasure so intense it robbed him of his breath, but not once did he look away from Luka’s eyes.
An age seemed to pass before he came back down, but Kyle had wits enough about him to hold Luka tight while he chased his own peak. Luka dropped his forehead against Kyle’s and found his rhythm again. Kyle watched him, taking in the deep flush of color on Luka’s neck and chest and the almost desperate cast in his eyes, and—just as Luka had done to Kyle only a minute before—raised a hand and cupped Luka’s cheek.
“Love you,” Kyle whispered, his soft words filling the space between them.
Luka’s chest heaved. He let loose a sob, his eyes wide and locked with Kyle’s as he came. His movements stuttered, gradually slowing, until he sagged, and Kyle wrapped him up in a hug.
They curled up together, exchanging kisses, and the broken pieces inside Kyle started knitting themselves together again.
Chapter Twenty
March 2016
Luka finished wiping down the white quartz countertop and turned so he faced Kyle. “What’s next?”
“I think we’re ready,” Kyle said. He surveyed the appetizers spread out on the kitchen cart that served as an island and the neatly laid dining table, but his tone sounded more questioning than sure, so Luka wrapped his arms around Kyle. He dragged Kyle back so they were pressed together full-length, but his concern deepened when Kyle stayed tense.
“Are you nervous about having my family over?” Luka asked. If that was the case, he’d be surprised. Kyle had been the one to suggest inviting the Clarke-Padillas over for a housewarming of sorts.
“I’m nervous, but not because it’s your family,” Kyle said. “I’ve just never hosted this many people before. Not in an apartment anyway.”
“My family wouldn’t have fit in the shoebox,” Luka countered as he looked around Kyle’s new—and very spacious—apartment. It had two bedrooms and was more than twice the size of his previous place.
“That’s putting it mildly.” Kyle laughed and his body finally relaxed against Luka’s.
Kyle had left most of his furniture behind for Oliver and bought new things that were a better fit for his new place. It had taken him a little while to truly settle in, but Kyle seemed very happy there. And he and Luka both spent a lot less time on the train.
The bigger-than-a-shoebox apartment was located on the edge of the Manhattanville and Morningside Heights neighborhoods. Luka had gone with Kyle to check out several areas, but they’d agreed the apartment on West 123rd Street near Morningside Park felt right to them both. Manhattanville’s population was primarily Latino followed by African-American, while Morningside Heights was predominantly white, and both Kyle and Luka felt safe and welcome on the border of the two. Luka had helped Kyle pick out the furnishings, too, and the place had become as much his as Kyle’s.
The apartment search had done more than find Kyle a place to live though. It had continued bringing Luka and Kyle close together again and helped mend the remaining cracks from the attack and their struggles after.
Luka wasn’t officially living on West 123rd—he still had some time left on his lease in Sugar Hill—but he’d spent at least as much time there as he did at the place with Matías in the past several weeks. And he was damned okay with that.
Luka’s thoughts returned to the party they were about to host. “So, if we’re all ready, is there anything I can do to help you relax before everyone gets here?”
Kyle shifted in his arms until he faced Luka. He pressed close, backing Luka up until he gently bumped the cabinets. And the once more clean-shaven planes of his face moved into a smile. “Kiss me?”
“That I can definitely do.” Luka captured Kyle’s mouth with his and tasted blackberry and thyme, ghosts of the cocktails Kyle had mixed up earlier. Luka hummed in pleasure.
The kisses turned into full on making out, and when Kyle fitted the
ir hips more tightly together, Luka didn’t mind the edge of the counter digging into his low back. He just wanted more Kyle. A few minutes later, the buzz of the intercom interrupted them and made them groan in unison.
Kyle pulled back, his cheeks flushed, and his mouth turned down in a slight frown. “Why did we invite people over again?”
“Because you wanted to introduce my family to Ollie,” Luka said with a laugh.
“Right. That.” Kyle shot him a pointed look. “Terrible idea.”
Luka rested his palms on the counter behind him and watched Kyle straighten his clothes on his walk to the door. Damn that man was fine.
Kyle had kept his beard for nearly six weeks following his reconciliation with Luka. He’d taken good care of it and made sure it was always neat and glossy, but Luka had sensed that, deep down, it had never truly suited Kyle. Luka had even caught Kyle frowning at himself in the bathroom mirror, dark eyes focused on the part of his chin they both knew bore the hidden scar. So Luka hadn’t been surprised when Kyle had made an appointment at a high-end barbershop in Chelsea and invited Luka to meet him outside. Kyle had emerged fresh faced and rosy-cheeked, the mark on his chin, now silvery-white, laid bare for the world to see. Kyle had held his head high and met Luka’s gaze with steady, clear eyes as he smiled. And Luka had practically hauled Kyle off his feet trying to get him back to the shoebox so he could kiss his boyfriend into a stupor.
Kyle pressed the intercom button now and shot Luka a smile as Oliver’s voice crackled through the speaker.
“Hey, let me in.”
Kyle removed his finger from the panel. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
Oliver had just stepped inside the door when the doorbell sounded again, and with quick succession, Regina and Wade, Lydia and Tomas and finally Marcus arrived. Matías had been invited as well, but unfortunately, he’d been scheduled to work. The room grew louder with cheerful greetings and conversation as Kyle welcomed people in and Luka hung up their coats.
Behind the Stick Page 30